blanket. Surprisingly, she'd fit perfectly onto his much larger, bulkier frame. With her head tucked under his chin, their chests and hips aligned perfectly, even though her booted feet rested halfway down his calves.
He wondered what species she was because he was sure he'd never seen anyone like her before. Was she a Bix hybrid? Bix were a hardy species despite their small size. The harsh conditions on their planet demanded they be. He'd never been attracted to a Bix before; there was something about their double-lidded eyes that always bothered him. While the outer lids ran horizontally like most species, the inner lids ran vertically like the more reptilian or avian species that populated the universe.
He hadn't noticed her having double lids on the transport, but then he hadn't been looking at her eyes. If she were a Bix hybrid, he might have to visit her once they got off this planet since her world was only a short transport ride from his Star Base. Knowing there was nothing he could do until rescued, he pulled the female closer and let sleep claim him.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Cali's nose twitched as she scented something strange but enticing. What was it? Why did it call to her?
Her hearing returned next with the sound of wind hitting taut fabric. It had her frowning in confusion. It sounded like she was outside, but that couldn't be right. The only place she ever slept outside was on her homeworld, and it had been a long time since she'd been there. So, where was she?
Opening her eyes, she found herself looking across the vast expanse of a chest partially covered in a silvery fabric. Chest? Silvery fabric? What was going on? Moving, she suddenly realized she wasn't just looking across the chest; she was half lying across it, and one of her legs intertwined with someone else's. But whose?
"Careful," a deep, sleep-roughened voice cautioned only to grunt when her head jerked up in surprise and connected with a chin.
"Ruk!" Jamis cursed, his eyes filling.
"Damn!" she swore back, reaching up to rub the top of her head.
"I told you to be careful," he growled, moving as far away from her as he could in the tight confines of the shelter.
"And why the ruk would I listen to someone I don't know!" she fired back.
"Because I saved your life!"
"You saved my life?" she asked in disbelief, as it all suddenly came back to her.
"Well, it's not as if someone as small and weak as you could have saved me," he told her arrogantly. He wasn't about to admit that he was still fuzzy on the exact details of what happened.
Cali opened her mouth to set him straight, then snapped it shut again. If this big jerk believed he had rescued her, it saved her from having to explain things she didn't want to.
Her silence allowed Jamis's gaze to travel over her. Taking in her single-lidded, brown eyes, he suddenly realized his earlier assessment was wrong. She wasn't Bix at all. Or even a Bix hybrid. She was from that obscure blue planet the inhabitants called Earth. While it had been discovered five-hundred years ago, it's inhabitants had been trying to conquer space travel for hundreds of years before that. Mostly unsuccessfully. Even now, after all that time and the assistance from more advanced species, Earth's inhabitants didn't tolerate space travel well.
In all his years, he'd only ever seen one Earthan. It had been when he'd traveled with his tad to their solar system as a youngling.
"You're an Earthan!" he exclaimed.
"Wow, very perceptive, Commander," she said snidely.
"I thought you said you didn't know who I was," he accused.
"Well, excuse me if I didn't immediately recognize the Great Star Base Commander Jamis Dexxirs' voice upon waking. After being ejected from a crippled transport, in a minuscule escape pod, with an Apre whose massive ego is the only thing bigger than his rukking size!" Cali's volume got louder and louder the longer she spoke. By the time she finished, she was so angry she couldn't prevent herself from kicking him under the blanket.
"Ow!" Jamis exclaimed. "Why did you do that?"
"Why? Because you are an arrogant, insufferable male! Isn't that enough?"
"I saved your life, as pitifully short as it will be. Still, I saved it."
"Seriously?"
"Why would I be anything but serious?" he asked, giving her a confused look.
"If you can't figure it out by yourself, then my explaining it isn't going to do any good." She looked around the small